Storing Tulips

[lottielady]

Anyone have any tips for storing bulbs grown in pots through the summer please ?


LLx

[MamIDdau]

yes that would be helpful as I've never had them before and they're in pots and I was kinda hoping to use the pot for something else... ;D

[Deleted]

I am not an authority on tulips but.....

I wait until they have had at least 6 weeks after flowering (to allow a food reserve to be built up in the bulb). Then I dig them up and immediately label them* and dry them off in the sun. They then go in the garage and a couple of weeks later I trim the foliage. Then store in dry crates in the garage until November.

* This is a lie! I only remember to label them just as my memory has faded and so I have to guess, which results in very odd colour clashes the following year ;D

[Chuckles]

I gave mine a good feed and have put them in one of my hidey holes at the top of the gdn till the leaves die off. They'll probably stay there till the end of the year now

[MamIDdau]

can I just ask how long it's meant to be before the leaves die off? Mine are still going strong even though the flowers have been gone for weeks...

[Dutchy]

You can dig them up now.
Leave the leaves on. Shake most dirt off.
Get yourself an old newspaper of the big size have three layers of pages on eachother. Lay the tulips with all bulbs ( do sort and label ) together in the newspaper fold one bit over the bulbs than roll from the side leaving the leaves outside the newspaper.
It does not matter if they are half in.
Put the rolled up bunch in the shed leaves pointing up and leave alone. Once the leaves have gone brown and brittle unwrap.
Gently pull all the growth off the bulb but do not clean the bulb.
Rewrap in old newspapers and put out of the way.
Occasionally check for fungy. In october peel away the old skin of the tulip, do try to leave the last coloured and shiny skin on.
You'll find lots of little new bulbs in there as well.
Discard the ones smaller than your thumbnail.
You can, depending on where you live plant the cleaned tulips or store them for another month and then replant.
Know that the small bulbs may not give a flower but they grow fat and provide the flowers for the year after.
I have kept my white tulips going for over 15 years now.
There are tulips that you can better buy new because they only give top show once ( QoN is one but when you don't mind smaller flowers they are fine )
Hope this helps.

All my tulips are wrapped up and in the shed already.
I did this last week.